At the beginning of March, the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority published its Port Information Guide, announcing new restrictions on the discharge of scrubber wash water.
Henceforth, ships at berth or at anchor within the Port of Vancouver are not permitted to discharge scrubber wash water. This applies to the wash water from open-loop and closed-loop EGCS. It does not apply to inert-gas scrubbers required by tankers for cargo operations and safety reasons.
In order for the ships to meet these new guidelines and requirements, they must either:
- hold their scrubber wash water on board,
- switch to low-sulphur fuel,
- connect to shore power, which is available at the Canada Place, Deltaport, and Centerm terminals.
What is scrubber wash water?
Scrubber wash water is the byproduct of ship exhaust gas cleaning systems, which are commonly known as “scrubbers.” Scrubbers are used to remove sulphur and other contaminants from ships’ fuel exhaust to comply with the International Maritime Organization’s 2020 regulation limiting sulphur content in marine fuel.
When scrubber wash water is released into the marine environment, it can have toxic impacts on marine life due to the presence of pollutants such as metals, hydrocarbons, and sulphurous and nitrous acids, which can accumulate in the food web and negatively impact the health of marine ecosystems.
According to the Port of Vancouver, if wash water cannot be recirculated, vessels must switch over to compliant fuel or shore power. The change-over should be effected as soon as possible after arrival to anchorage or berth and as late as possible before departure.
Additionally, the Port of Vancouver also plans to prohibit the discharge of scrubber wash water in all waters within the port authority’s jurisdiction, while later will aim to fully prohibit the use of scrubber systems within the Port of Vancouver.
EXPLORE MORE AT PORT OF VANCOUVER’S INFO GUIDE
